When Justin Anderson was a junior in 2011 at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Md., he was part of a boys basketball team he still ranks among the most cohesive and brightest groups of players he could imagine.

Anderson helped lead Montrose that year to a 71-64 double overtime win against Oak Hill Academy in the National High School Basketball Invitational — the de facto national championship. He's found a team worthy of being put in the same elite level with that Montrose team in terms of its acceptance of roles and structure.

Though he's not a regular starter this season for No. 17 Virginia (20-5, 11-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), Anderson has carved out an invaluable presence. He's not just building a reputation as a defensive pest against players of all sizes. He's also become adept at providing an instant spark.

"This is probably the second team that's completely bought into the system that I've ever been a part of," said Anderson of U.Va., which heads Saturday to play at Clemson (15-8, 6-5). "This team has bought into a different style of basketball that's very hard to dig into, especially when we have so much talent. The term 'bought in' might be an understatement for how we feel about our defense."

U.Va. enters the game first in the nation in scoring defense (55.5 points per game), while Clemson is second (56.2) in the category. U.Va. will be going for its ninth straight win, and its sixth consecutive ACC road win, which would match its longest conference road winning streak since the 1982-83 season.

Clemson stumbled during a recent stretch that included a lot of road games, losing four of its last six games (losses at No. 20 Pittsburgh, at North Carolina, at No. 1 Syracuse and at Notre Dame), but the Tigers are 10-1 at home. Junior forward K.J. McDaniels leads Clemson with averages of 17 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and certainly may see some of Anderson.

"It's going to be possession-by-possession basketball," Anderson said. "Whether it's a good-looking thing on TV or not, some people might not want to see that kind of basketball, but I truly believe that kind of basketball wins you ball games."

Anderson, a 6-foot-6 sophomore guard who has played in all 25 games this season with only five starts, is averaging 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. He's developing a reputation for being able to guard players of varying sizes and speeds, and for some gargantuan blocks.

In U.Va.'s 61-53 home win Monday against Maryland, U.Va. led 37-35 with under 11 minutes left when Anderson raced up behind Maryland's Roddy Peters, who was about finish what he hoped would be an uncontested layup.

Wrong.

Anderson spiked Peters' layup against the backboard, saved the ball from going out-of-bounds and got it to U.Va. guard Teven Jones, who found Joe Harris for an open 3-pointer. In a matter of seconds, the game went from possibly being tied to seeing the Cavaliers build a 5-point lead.

"If you're going to get those blocks, it's just a knack that you have to have, especially with the timing," said Anderson, who has had other similar crowd-energizing blocks. "I don't really think about it. It's just one of those things where I always find myself in a position to go get one."

Despite not starting much this season, Anderson is part of a rotation, including forward Anthony Gill off the bench, that U.Va. coach Tony Bennett relies on.

"Certainly, they've embraced that role," said Bennett of Gill and Anderson. "Obviously, London (Perrantes) and Malcolm (Brogdon) and Joe (Harris) are playing well. We're kind of using for the most part I look at four perimeter guys for those three spots, so there's ample opportunity and ample time. Of course, it's an important role (for Anderson), and Justin may be coming off the bench. It's just more, 'OK, let me get a feel for things and see how I can come in.'"

Anderson, who went on to become the Gatorade boys basketball player of the year in Maryland in 2012, could be starting at a lot of places. On the other hand, he might not have the opportunity he has this season at U.Va.

"Coming from high school, it's one of those things you think, 'OK, where do I want to end my college career?'" Anderson said. "You have to ask yourself, 'What do I want out of my college career? Do I selfishly just want to be that guy that's getting all the attention in the starting lineup and I can walk around and say I'm a starter for my team? Or do I want to be that guy that's a part of something special, and sacrifice the things that come with starting?' It's a toss-up between those two.

"Going to Montrose gave me the maturity to realize it's bigger than who starts the game. It's bigger than who scores the most points."

VCU has been the state’s premier college basketball team each of the last three years, and with a 5-0 record versus the commonwealth this season, the Rams’ case for 2014 supremacy would seem as compelling as their rock-the-joint band, The Peppas.

As trainers carted Jerry Ugokwe off the Unitas Stadium field last November, William and Mary football coach Jimmye Laycock couldn't avoid the thought: His team's entire starting offensive line, a group with so much promise and youth, was wiped out by injury.

Robbie Babb posted his third and fourth victories of the season with a clean sweep of twin 30-lap Modified races, the featured events of Saturday evening’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program at Langley Speedway.